Wrapping machine folder



S. M. BODOLAY' WRAPPING MACHINE FOLDER Filed April 7, 1941 Dec. 1942.

INVENTQR JTL'Pl/[AM 5000 y ATTOFZEYs Patented Dec. 8, 1942 WRAPPINGMACHINE FOLDER Stephen M. Bodolay,Springfleld, Mam,

tolachge Balm! Machinery Company, Springfield,

Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application April "I, 1941,SerialNo. 387,134

7 Claims.

This invention relates to. improvements in folders for wrapping machinesof the general type described in my prior application Serial No.

364,164, filed November 4, 1940. Folders of the type there describedcomprise a flexible member projecting laterally from an endless chain orother conveyor movable in an endless path. The flexible folder isadapted to contact a wrapper flap with its leading edge and fold itdown, and then to hold the folded flap by contact with the body of thecontinuously moving folder while its leading end and the article moveaway from each other. Since this type of folder moves continuously in anendless path, it may have a very high and steady speed, and has thefurther advantage of giving a tight foldbecause it does not movebackwardly with respect to the folded down flap, as do the usual type ofreciprocating folders.

I have found that a considerable improvement in the tightness of thefold, particularly in the case of irregular or non-rectangular articles,can be obtained by the addition of yielding extensions to the flexiblemember, so that these extensions will be folded down during passageacross the article and will straighten out as the article and folderdiverge, this straightening serving to give a frictional pull on thefolded flap in a direction to tighten it still further around thearticle. These yielding extensions are preferably in the form ofbristles, and have the further advantage that they make the device lesscritical inthe matter of spacing from the surfacevof the article to bewrapped.

The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the improved folderat the start of its folding action;

Fig. 2 is a similar view at a later stage;

Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, showing one way of mountingthe flexible folder; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan of the folder and its carrier.

The'folder is composed, as in the previous case referred to, of aplurality of segments I pivoted on rods ll extending laterally fromchains 12 directed and driven in an endless path as by sprockets l3, l4,l5, l6; and H. The segments have alternating concave and convexinterfltting sides, as indicated at I8, and are held together by chainsl8 and 20. Chains i2 are preferably provided with stationary guides 2|during the portion of their travel when the folder is in contact withthe wrapper to preserve projecting from it lateral extensions which maybe in the form of flexible sheets arranged on edge but are preferablyformedas a row'of bristies 22, conveniently located in holes spacedalong the segment.

The action of the folders is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will thereappear that the leading end of, the flexible folder, which is formed, ofthe aggregate of segments, and also the leading row of bristles,cooperate in folding the flap b against the article a, and that theremaining bristles smooth down, tighten, and hold the flap o after it isfolded. As the segments come to the drag upon it which keeps it tight asit passes around the stationary folder 24. The continued advance of thearticle past the stationary folder completes the folding down of theflap c.

One further advantage of this construction should be noted. In the priorconstruction the the proper relationship. Each segment III has segmentscontacted directly with the wrapper, and very careful and accurateadjustment of the position of the carrier chain was necessary topreserve the exact degree of contact between. the segments and thewrapper which would produce the tension desired on the wrapper withoutbinding it too tightly. By the present construction the yielding qualityof the bristles permits a considerable tolerance in. the position of thecarrier chains, and produces greater uniformity in the tension of thefolds.

What I claim is:

1. In a wrapping machine of the type in which an article with projectingfront and rear flaps is moved past a stationary front flap folder, 9.rear flap folder comprising a flexible plate-like member having yieldingmembers extending from its surface, and means for moving the member in apath having an initial portion parallel to the article at a distancetherefrom less than the extent of said yielding members, whereby saidmember will fold down a flap onto a face of the article and hold ityieldingly against said face by the bending over of the yieldingmembers, the path having a subsequent portion abruptly diverging fromits initial portion adjacent the stationary folder to permit theyielding members to straighten out and force the flap by frictionalengagement towards the stationary. folder.

2. A folder forwrapplng machines and the like comprising a flexibleplate-like member having yielding members extending from its surface,and means for moving the plate-like member in an endless path in partcontiguous to a face of the article to be wrapped and spaced therefrom adistance less than the extent of said yielding members, and thendiverging abruptly from said directionally past an'article to be wrappedand lying in a plane at right angles to the surface ofthe article acrosswhich the fold is to be made.

5. A folder for .wrapping machines and the like comprising a segmentalplate-like member having bristles extending from the surface 'ofthesegments, and a carrier for said member to move it in a unidirectionalendless path extendarticle face to cause bodily bending of the 'flexiblemember, whereby said plate-like memberwill engage and fold a flap andhold it with the bentover yielding members and then tension the flap bythe straightening of the yielding members as the flexible memberis bent.

3. A folder for wrappingmachines and the like comprising. a flexible,plate-like member having bristles extending in one direction from itssurface, and means for moving the member'in an endless path in partcontiguous, to a face of the article to be wrapped and spaced therefroma distance less than'the lateral extent of the bristles, and thendiverging abruptly from said article face to cause bodily bending of themember,-

whereby said member will engage and fold :a flap against the article andhold the flap by the tension of its bent-over bristles, and will thentension the flap by the straightening of the bristles as the member isbent.

l. A folder for wrapping machines and the like comprising a flexibleplate-like member having yielding members extending from its surface,and a carrier for said member tomove it in a unidirectional endless pathextending in part uniing in part unidirectionally past an article to bewrapped and lying in a plane'at right angles to the surface. of thearticle across which the fold is to be made.

' folder 6. In a wrapping machine or the like, a folder, meansconstraining the folder for movement in a non circular endless pathextending in part unidirectionally past and parallel to a face of anarticle to'be wrapped, said path being wholly extemal to the articlewhen the latter is in folding positionand lying in a plane at rightangles to the surface of the article across which the fold is to bemade, and yielding members projecting from the folder towards thearticle face for con-- tact therewith.

7. In a wrapping machine or the like, a folder,

